With Christmas around the corner electronics are in high demand. But, how do we as parents teach our children to find a balance between technology and their other everyday activities? Our kids are living in a digital world. They instinctively know how to work just about every electronic device out there. I have been amazed at the things my 4 year old can do on Grandma’s Ipad. He knows how to work it better than I do. He can navigate and find his favorite shows in a matter of seconds. He knows right where his games are and can go back and forth with relative ease.
While I don’t think this age of technology is entirely bad, I don’t think it is entirely good either. On the up side there are thousands of educational apps that can teach your child anything from numbers and letters to fractions and recipes. It has helped my son visualize what addition and subtraction actually mean. He is learning at an incredible speed and much of that is due to these educational apps we’ve found on the internet. However, it is far too easy to lose track of time when engaged in technological activities. This is a struggle for us as adults as well. How many times have we gotten on Facebook or Pinterest and lost track of the hour that just passed. It is easy to get lured in by technology, but we have to help both us and our children find balance between life and their screen time.
Set a specific amount of time each day that they are allowed to sit in front of the TV or play video games. Set a timer so they that neither one of you lose track of the time they’ve spent. When they hear the buzzer go off they know their time is up and they need to find something else to do. Give your children specific suggestions: write a story, read a book, play a board game, listen to music, go outside and play with a friend. There are plenty of things children can do to have fun and keep themselves busy, they just need a little coaxing sometimes.
Be an example to your kids. If they see that you are spending all of your time on the computer, they will follow suit. Set limits for yourself and show your kids the value of unplugging every once in a while.